Spain flatly denies U.S. claim of Iran cooperation agreement
Madrid rejected White House assertions that it agreed to military cooperation on Iran, reaffirming its opposition to military action in the region.
4 hrs ago
Spain and the United States clashed Wednesday over competing claims regarding a purported military cooperation agreement, with Madrid categorically denying assertions made by the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Spain had accepted cooperation with the U.S. military on Iran. "I believe that Spain yesterday understood loud and clear the message of the president, and from what I understand, in recent hours they have accepted to collaborate with the U.S. military," Leavitt said.
Within roughly twenty minutes of the White House statement, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares issued a sharp denial. "Not a single comma has changed and I have not the slightest idea what she is referring to," Albares said. He emphasized that Spain's position remained unchanged and reiterated the country's stance against military involvement in the region.
The dispute centers on the use of joint military bases at Morón and Rota in Spain. Albares stated that an existing bilateral agreement governs the use of these facilities and that any use outside that framework would not occur. "There is a bilateral agreement and outside the framework of this agreement there will be no use of the bases," he said.
Spain's government stressed that its opposition to military action against Iran remains firm. "Our position of 'no to war' remains clear and unequivocal," Albares continued, underscoring the government's commitment to its stated policy.
The disagreement reflects broader tensions between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and President Trump. Over the past year, Sánchez has positioned himself as a leader of Europe's left-wing resistance to Trump's policies. When Trump escalated deportations, Sánchez provided undocumented migrants a pathway to residency. As Trump championed American technology companies, Sánchez moved to restrict them.
This past weekend, Sánchez refused to allow American warplanes to use Spanish territory as a launchpad for strikes on Iran, prompting Trump to threaten to end trade with Spain. On Wednesday, Sánchez delivered a special address to the nation in which he condemned the campaign against Iran and reiterated his refusal to participate despite Trump's threats of economic retaliation.
"We are not going to be accomplices to something that is bad for the world," Sánchez stated, according to accounts of his address.